Page 69 of Taming Chaos

Torin sat back with one leg hooked over his chair’s armrest, looking very much like a wayward prince. That lean, hungry look was gone, and in its place was a man in his physical prime.

Seph swallowed another mouthful of her bitter drink, trying to distract herself from all-consuming thoughts of naked Torin and his devious tongue. “You look like you’re back to normal. I’m relieved. For a moment there, I was worried.”

“Almost there.” He popped another morsel of meat in his mouth and licked his fingers. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m tougher than I look.” The sight of those sensual lips closing over long, elegant fingers made Seph squirm in her seat.

Torin smirked.

Bastard.

He seemed to be enjoying this.

Torin drank his entire mug of bitter tea in a single gulp, even though the beverage was still steaming hot. “We have a little time to ourselves now, Seph. We have quarters, we have food, we have room, and if anyone tries to come through that door, I’ll take their fucking head off.” A mischievous smile played across his lips.

She contemplated him quietly, a million hot thoughts running through her mind. “How long until we reach Bartharra?”

“Based on our probable relative location to Zarhab Groht, I’d say it’ll be around the Earth equivalent of two weeks.”

“Two weeks? That’s not all that bad.”

“Bartharran ships are built on modified Ephrenian tech, so they’re surprisingly fast, and Bartharra isn’t all that far away.” Torin’s hand dropped to her thigh. With the same long fingers that had just been between his lips, he stroked her leg through the taut fabric of her travel suit. “With all this time on our hands, why don’t we just get to know each other and play?”

Yes! Her body reacted before she had a chance to think. With great effort, Seph pushed the carnal thoughts to the back of her mind, forcing herself to be still as a sneaking suspicion overtook her. “Sounds like you’ve got this whole thing perfectly planned, Torin Mardak. I almost get the feeling you’ve a plan in mind from the very start.”

His expression turned deliciously cryptic. “I’ve been doing this sort of thing all my life, Seph. It is always chaos at the beginning, but eventually, you forge a path, beat things into order, and see a way through.”

“And these well laid plans of yours… do they always work out the way you think they will?”

“Almost never,” he chuckled, taking her hand. He gave her a gentle tug, pulling her into his lap. Seph went willingly. “But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” He ran a hand over the swell of her hip and captured her wrist in a firm grasp. Slowly, maddeningly, he licked the sticky sapha from each of her fingers. “I hate sweet things,” he murmured, circling the pad of her thumb with the tip of his cunning tongue, “but I love licking them off your skin.” He curled one leg around hers and thrust his fingers through her hair, caressing her scalp, sending a pleasant tingle down her spine.

Torin inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent, and Seph felt the insistent press of his erection against her lower thigh.

Once again, he seemed to be naked.

Seph’s arousal flared, wiping the fearful thoughts from her mind.

Torin’s limbs entwined with hers, his hands roaming possessively. He turned her face toward him and kissed her. He tasted sweet yet bitter, his lips infused with an almost imperceptible metallic taint.

Sweetness, blood, and darkness. That was Torin through and through. With this dangerous, alluring creature wrapped around her, Seph came to a realization that was both terrifying and sublime.

She’d fallen for him, and he would never let her down.

With Torin by her side, she had no doubt she would see the blue, green, and white surface of Earth again. It might take a little while, and it might get dangerous from time to time, but she was no longer afraid.

How could she be, when she had one of the strongest creatures in the Universe by her side?

Chapter Nineteen

Time flowed into an endless stream of Seph, and Torin bathed in her presence.

He ate with her, slept by her side, and had in long, naked conversations with her about intergalactic politics and offworld cultures and the human condition, which he found absolutely fascinating. To his surprise, she knew a great deal about the Outer Sectors, enough to engage him in fiery debate, and on more than one occasion, win (although he would never readily admit it).

She was emphatic, philosophical, righteous.

Human.

He watched her. He stalked her. He fucked her again and again and again, and to his delight, he discovered that his intrinsic savagery turned her on.

Despite what Torin wanted to believe, he could be as brutal and terrible as the worst of all Kordolians. She’d witnessed it first hand, and incredibly, she seemed to accept it.

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